New research published in the journal Archives of General Psychiatry shows that insomnia is linked with as many as 274,000 errors and accidents in the workplace each year, costing $31.1 billion in total.

For the study, more than 10,000 people were surveyed as part of the America Insomnia Survey, the Los Angeles Times reported. HealthDay reported that insomnia of at least a year-long period affected 20 percent of the study participants.

Participants were asked about any accidents in the workplace "that either caused damage or work disruption with a value of $500 or more" or "that cost your company $500 or more," according to the study.

Researchers found that workplaces mistakes related to insomnia were more costly than other kinds of errors, with insomnia-related errors costing $32,062 compared with non insomnia-related errors costing $21,914, on average.

Plus, they found that 7.2 percent of workplace errors were linked with insomnia, as well as 23.7 percent of costs incurred because of these errors, according to the study.

HealthDay pointed out that there may be other factors also at play that could contribute to these costs, but the study still shows a definite link between insomnia and these costly workplace errors.

Last year, a study in the journal SLEEP showed that insomnia costs the nation a total of $63.2 billion and 252.7 days in lost productivity each year.

Having trouble sleeping yourself? Check out these natural remedies for insomnia, from Michael Decker, Ph.D., an associate professor at Georgia State University and spokesperson for the American Academy of Sleep Medicine:

Can't Sleep?

Can't Sleep?

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Lullabies

Soothing music before bedtime can really do the trick. A 2005 study found that older people who listened to 45 minutes of soft tunes before hitting the hay reported a 35 percent improvement in their sleep problems.
But it doesn't have to be Brahms, if that's not your style. As long as the music was soft and slow -- around 60 to 80 beats per minute -- it can spur physical changes known to promote sleep, like a slower heart rate and breathing, the BBC reported.
"We know that when a person closes their eyes they induce a certain frequency of brain waves," says Decker. Slow music may have a similar effect, he surmises, leading to sleep onset.
Flickr photo by Llima